554 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



on this hive; and Mr. Inman, in selling his 

 honey in the home market, cut it from the sec- 

 tions and used them over as long as they would 

 hold together, and the most of them were black 

 with age. Mr. Inman was not conceited in 

 relation to his method of management, and 

 desired modern hives and methods, and espe- 

 cially the light 1-lb. section; but considering 

 his style of hive, and the fact that he was well 

 up to 70 years of age, he was doing remarkably 

 well to get 100 lbs. of comb honey to the hive in 

 1893, and in 1894 the season was off in Humboldt 

 Co., as well as in other portions of the State, 

 and from 50 colonies he obtained only 2.100 lbs. 



This excellent field of white clover is limited, 

 being an area of only about ten miles square. 

 Outside of this the bees obtain only a small 

 amount of honey, principally from tarweed. 

 Next to owning a large apiary, Mr. Inman 

 seemed ambitious to use up the small apiaries 

 around him. The nearest was only about 200 

 rods away. Mr. I. said that, when that feller 

 came there, their bees fit like fury; but owing 

 to his bees being very strong, the other fellow 

 was ^t out of seven colonies. 



" Say," said he; " I could fix that feller's bees. 

 Jest make a big swarm in a sugar-hogshead, 

 and they will clean up his whole outfit." 



Asking for further information, he explained 

 that, by suspending a small hive of bees inside, 

 near the top of a hogshead, they would increase 

 and increase until they filled the whole hogs- 

 head, and they would rob out any apiary within 

 three miles of them; and he claimed he had 

 successfully tried it away back in New Hamp- 

 shire; " and," said he, " by George, I've a good 

 mind to try it on these upstart fellers around 

 here." 



Mr. Inman paid 1350 for his lot, 180x110 ft., 

 and not in a town at that. Land in this valley 

 is held at from $500 to SIOOO per acre, and rents 

 equally high. 



Port Kenyon is the shipping-point from 

 Ferndale. The little steamer Weeott makes 

 regular trips to San Francisco, with butter, 

 cattle, pigs, and merchandise; and, owing to 

 the dangerous symposiums of schoolma'ams 

 over the mountains, I resolved to return to San 

 Francisco by steamer. The ocean was very 

 rough, and had not subsided from the effects 

 of the storms and earthquake, and the steam- 

 er lay out over the bar for several days, and 

 finally on Sunday morning came into port. 



All day the stevedores worked at unloading, 

 and then loading. While this work was in 

 progress I attended the little United Brethren 

 church in town, and listened profitably to 

 preaching, by a lady evangelist. There were 

 several schoolma'ams present, and a large num- 

 ber of pretty milkmaids; but Bro. Wilder was 

 safe in the warehouse, and the day passed with- 

 out exciting episodes. 



In the morning the captain said he was afraid 

 the sea was too rough for his boat to cross the 



bar. We were three miles from the shore, but 

 could distinctly hear the hoarse roar of the 

 breakers. About ten o'clock, however, the 

 word was given for us to get our ponies on 

 board. Our wagon and all its contents was 

 lifted aloft with the hoist and donkey-engine, 

 and gently dropped on board. The ponies 

 clambered over the side on a sort of horse step- 

 ladder. Mr. Wilder, with his past arduous 

 experience on the bosom of the deep in remem- 

 brance, faced the bellowing ocean with a cour- 

 age that was truly commendable. 



The captain on the bridge felt his way care- 

 fully over the bar; two men at the bow of the 

 steamer heaved the lead, taking soundings. 

 One on the larboard side would shout, "Twelve 

 fathoms, sir;" then from the starboard side 

 would come '"Ten fathoms, sir;" then it was 13 

 fathoms, then 15, then 20. and we were over the 

 bar; but what a plunge our steamer made at 10 

 fathoms! Our ponies, near the forecastle, lost 

 their feet, and went to the deck. They were 

 up in an instant, and snorted as a breaker 

 curled over the larboard rail and drenched 

 them with salt water; but, once over the bar, 

 the vessel moved steadily onward, only taking 

 those long swells that are so soothing to the 

 voyager. 



As I have received so many benefits from Mr. 

 Wilder's deer-hunting by claiming every time 

 thattt'e shot the deer, I will here give him the 

 benefit of my expertness as a sailor, and say 

 that we were not seasick during this two days' 

 voyage. In San Francisco we transferred our 

 outfit to the river boat, and continued our jour- 

 ney by water up the San Joaquin River to 

 Stockton. Over 300 miles by water refreshed 

 us, and here we were ready again to take to the 

 common highways. 



FEEDERS AND FEEDING. 



SOME KIND WORDS FOR THE COKNEIL SMOKER. 



By Emma WUson. 



About the last of May, as the bees had nothing 

 to do we concluded we would do a little outdoor 

 feeding at the home apiary, although we had 

 thought the feeding finished for this spring. 

 We filled the Miller feeders and piled them up 

 six or eight high, leaving a good space open at 

 the bottom so the bees could get at them. But, 

 although the bees were swarming around them, 

 they did not seem to find the feed, or at least 

 they did not empty the feeders as fast as we ex- 

 pected. We then tried setting the feeders on 

 the ground, one in a place, filling the compart- 

 ment very loosely with hay, then putting in the 

 sugar and water, leaving the covers off entirely. 

 And, my! but didn't the bees just swarm about 

 those feeders! 



Into some of them we put very little sugar- 

 about a pound to five quarts of water — and in 

 others we put five times as much sugar to the 



